Welcome to the class blog of Ben Villarreal's Freshman English 12 Course: Visual and Verbal Literacies! Here you'll find the thoughts, ideas, and burgeoning written work from our class about the multiple literacies we experience.

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13 February 2012

Sean Sanchez

Chapter
7 summary

In chapter 7 of Understanding Comics the author Scott McCloud explains what art is
and if comics are art. He argues that the question itself is stupid and we
don’t have a broad view on how we define art. He
claims that art is anything that we do that doesn't involve our basic instincts
of survival or reproduction.

With this definition McCloud uses the example
that anything from taping a rock to signing our name on our receipt is an art
form or an element of art. He explains that some art though has more activities
than others. He calls this “pure art” and that it has some kind of purpose
behind it and to reach this purpose it follow a procedure of 6 steps.

The steps are
idea/purpose, form, idiom, structure, craft, and surface. He compares theses
ideas to an apple. Most people can only appreciate the surface of the apple but
when you bite into the apple it is hollow. This is an analogy where he is
comparing the apple to new artists who don’t understand the other 5 concepts of
art so they comics are hallow.

McCloud then uses the example of artist who
tries to make comics. Each lacks a few steps with the processes and when they
try to show their work to professional they realize they don’t have what it
takes to make comics. One artist finally understands that all the steps revolve
around a purpose of what the artist is trying to say to the world.

McCloud explains that the purpose can be
changed quickly if an artist chooses by the form of the comic. McCloud argues
that an artist will always use these 6 steps and they can be used in any order.
McCloud is trying to say that in order to be artist you have to understand what
art is and how you define it. Also you must be able to understand the entire
steps behind art and not just the surface because there is much more to learn
about art and comics.

I agree with McCloud that art needs to be
defined broader. Almost everything I do can be considered art form. Art is not
limited to drawing and painting. I also see that must famous art follows the
six steps process. Most art and comics that is limited to just the surface
don’t ever make it because most people always ask the question what is the
purpose behind the art or comic.